SAN BERNARDINO – A Superior Court judge declared a mistrial Tuesday after a jury deadlocked over DNA evidence in the trial of a 68-year-old man accused of brutally killing his ex-girlfriend and her daughter.

The jury deadlocked 7 to 5, in favor of guilty, in the trial for Robert Johnson, who faced up to life in state prison if he had been convicted.

Prosecutors said they will retry the case against Johnson, who is alleged to have fatally stabbed 49-year-old Lee Anne Carrel and her 26-year-old autistic daughter, Angela Carrel, in November 2005.

Johnson’s lawyer, Rajan Maline, said he was pleased with the trial’s outcome, but he maintains that the defendant is wrongly accused.

“I appreciate the jury’s hard work,” Maline said. “Obviously, I believe my client is innocent, and he should be going home.”

The defense lawyer explained that jurors had to decide whether two blood drops found inside the townhome, which contained Johnson’s DNA, were pre-existing or a result of the deaths.

“That was the whole issue,” Maline said.

The defendant and Lee Anne Carrel had dated. But the relationship soured, and the women were in the process of moving, according to court testimony.

Johnson returns to court July 24 to set new trial dates.

Deputy District Attorney Robert Bulloch said the charges will remain the same.

“It’s my intent to retry this case,” Bulloch said. He declined to comment further, because of the pending trial.

Prosecutors had dubbed the slaying a classic domestic violence case, at a hearing for Johnson two years ago. Carrel left behind clues of the failed pairing in her diary, which prosecutors had hoped would give her a voice at the trial.

When the victim tried ending the relationship, Johnson began calling her at all hours of the night, according to police. When she took early morning walks, the unwanted boyfriend followed her in his car.

Seven months after breaking off the relationship, both women were found dead inside the Mountain Avenue townhome by family members.